China Dining Saiho, Imabari: A Local Chinese Restaurant with a Weekday Daily Lunch Set and a Huge Bowl of Mapo Tofu

China Dining Saiho (チャイナダイニング彩鳳) is a Chinese restaurant in Kamitoku, Imabari.
It is the closest restaurant to the acupuncture and judo-therapy clinic run by the author of this site.

It is the kind of Chinese place that local people use on an ordinary weekday.

Why it is worth knowing about

A teishoku is a set meal.
A higawari teishoku is the dish of the day, served with rice, soup, pickles and small side dishes, all at a neighbourhood price.

Saiho is not built for tourists.
That is exactly why eating here shows you how people in Imabari have lunch.

It is away from the Shimanami Kaido cycling route and from JR Imabari Station.
Think of it as a place to reach by car or taxi.

Finding it

Look for a white building with a clock tower on top.
The sign reads “China Dining SAIHO”.

It looks more like a stylish Western-style mansion than a Chinese restaurant.
It stands very close to Maruhiro, a fresh-food market.

There is parking for about 10 cars in front of the restaurant.
There is also a larger car park about 50 m further along.

Inside

Most of the seating is wooden tables.
Lights hanging from the ceiling give the room a calm feel.

At the back there is a zashiki, a raised tatami seating area.
That makes it easy for families with small children.

The daily lunch set

The author orders the daily set almost every time.
The menu for the day is written on a blackboard in the restaurant.

The daily set is served on weekdays at lunchtime only.
It costs 880 yen including tax.

The day shown on the blackboard above was tenshinmen, noodles topped with a soft omelette in a thick sauce, in a very large bowl.
With it came rice, a spring roll, salad, soup, pickles and dessert.

Even on a noodle day you still get rice.
You will not leave hungry.

Another time the author arrived to find champon noodles on the board, which was a surprise.
They were full of vegetables and pleasantly light.

Then there was a fluffy egg dish under a mildly spicy sauce.
The heat and the sweetness of the egg balance well, and the rice goes quickly.

On a stir-fried meat and vegetables day, the dish came piled high on a large plate.

You can choose a large, medium or small portion of rice.
Even the medium comes heaped up, so if you prefer less, ask for small.

The set used to cost 730 yen, then 850 yen last year, and now it is 880 yen.
Even so, it is a happy price for everything you get.

The mapo tofu that stays in the memory

The dish the author remembers best is the mapo tofu served as the daily set.
It arrives in a big bowl, almost like a donburi bowl, filled to the top.

It is spicy, and the mapo tofu alone is enough to fill you up.
It is hard to believe it is meant for one person.

Even the water comes in a big glass.
It is a tall glass like the ones Japanese izakaya bars use for highballs and sours.

Other set meals

The daily set is for weekday lunchtime only.
The menu also lists set meals such as mapo tofu, nira-rebā (stir-fried chives and liver) and karaage fried chicken.

For the mapo tofu set and the mapo eggplant set you can choose how spicy you want it.
One day during the Obon holidays, when there was no daily set, the author ordered the nira-rebā set, a big favourite.

Posters on the wall show stone-pot mapo noodles and la zi ji (辣子鶏), spicy fried chicken with chilli.

What other diners say

In online reviews, many people say the portions are big and the value is good.
The restaurant is busy at lunchtime and you may have to wait.

One day the author walked in when it happened to be quiet.
Before the food arrived, every seat had been taken.

Arriving a little early makes it easier to get a seat.

Some reviews name the bubbling stone-pot mapo noodles as the restaurant’s speciality.

When you have little time at lunch, a good restaurant close by is a real help.

Questions people ask

Can I pay by card? No, it is cash only.
Please bring enough cash.

Is the daily set served every day? No, it is available on weekdays at lunchtime only.

Can I go at 3 pm? The restaurant is closed between 15:00 and 17:00.
Lunch last orders are at 14:30.

Is it open on Mondays? No, Monday is the regular closing day.

Are the portions big? Yes.
If you want less, choose the small rice.

More local lunch in Imabari

For other local places with daily lunch specials, see Fukurin, another Chinese diner, and Cafe Restaurant America, a Western-style café.
For everything else on the Imabari side of the bridge, see The complete Imabari guide for Shimanami Kaido cyclists.

Restaurant information

China Dining Saiho（チャイナダイニング彩鳳）
Address: 愛媛県今治市上徳乙168-4 (Kamitoku, Imabari)

Telephone: 0898-47-2898
Open 11:00 to 15:00 (last order 14:30) and 17:00 to 22:00 (last order 21:30). Closed on Mondays.

Parking: about 10 cars in front, plus a larger car park about 50 m away.
Payment is cash only.

Hours and closing days can change, so please call the restaurant before you go.

Original article in Japanese: 今治の中華 彩鳳｜日替わり定食と大きな器の麻婆豆腐

 - English